Golden State Warriors: 5 Adjustments For Game 2 vs. Thunder
5. Foul Less
This one is simple: Playing defense without fouling was hard for the Warriors in Game 1, particularly in the second half when the Thunder outscored Golden State 61-42.
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In the series opener, the Warriors committed 22 personal fouls compared to OKC’s 15. That’s not an egregious discrepancy, but the Thunder got to the line 32 times. The Dubs only got to the foul line 17 times.
True enough, OKC missed 10 of its 32 free throw tries, but the Thunder still doubled Golden State’s production from the foul line with the Warriors only going 11-for-17 from the charity stripe. Klay Thompson had four fouls, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut had three each, and Festus Ezeli somehow piled on four fouls in just eight minutes.
In Game 2, this top-five defensive team (and the best remaining defense in the playoffs) needs to play more like it.
Next: No. 4